1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a portable automated sharpening apparatus structured to sharpen a plurality of blades of a reel blade mechanism. Specifically, the present invention is structured to be mounted onto an “operational reel blade mechanism” to sharpen the blades thereof, the operational reel blade mechanism being at least partially, yet operably, interconnected to a propelling device such as a tractor, a driving mower, or other such propulsion device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among the various types of lawn maintenance equipment utilized to cut grass and/or other vegetation are a number of lawn mowing devices which include one or more reel blade mechanisms. Lawn mowing devices employing such reel blade mechanisms are generally utilized for larger commercial, industrial and/or institutional applications, wherein a single propelling device, such as a mower or a tractor may include a plurality of reel blade mechanisms, however, heavy duty hand operated residential lawn mowing devices may also include one or more reel blade mechanism. Reel blade mechanisms typically include one or more blades attached to a reel, wherein these reel blades are structured to rotate about a reel blade axis. In addition, these reel blade mechanisms generally include a reel blade drive structured to rotate the reel blade mechanism and, more specifically, the associated reel blades, about a reel blade axis. The reel blade drives are normally powered by a hydraulic, pneumatic, or other power supply system of the propelling device, once again, such as a mower or a tractor.
In light of the heavy duty usage of such reel blade mechanisms, it should be apparent that routine maintenance necessarily includes periodic sharpening of each of the plurality of blades of the reel blade mechanisms. Often times, the reel blade mechanism will include one or more fixed blades, such as a bed knife, in addition to the rotating reel blades. Thus, as should also be apparent, the process of sharpening each of the plurality of blades of a reel blade mechanism can be a complex and time consuming task. To begin, most sharpening devices require the complete removal of each reel blade mechanism from its propelling device, be it a mower or a tractor, after which the reel blade mechanism is hoisted onto and interconnected to a sharpening device. In at least one known sharpening device, this process includes the interconnection of the reel blade mechanism to an auxiliary hydraulic, pneumatic, or other powered drive system, such that the reel blades of the mechanism may be rotated to effect sharpening via a procedure known as spin-grinding. Some sharpening devices provide a means to drive a sharpening head across the blades of the reel assembly, such as is required during a spin-grinding procedure, however, a significant number of known devices rely upon an operator to manually “drive” a sharpening head across the reel blades, which often results in uneven sharpening of the blade or blades.
In addition to the aforementioned sharpening devices, a number of portable sharpening devices are also known. While such devices may eliminate the need for the complete removal of the reel blade mechanism from its propelling device, these sharpening devices typically only sharpen one blade at a time, and thus, they can not be utilized for the precision spin-grinding procedure noted above, and as discussed further below. In addition, the known portable sharpening devices normally require the operator to manually “drive” the sharpening head across the reel blades which, once again, often results in uneven sharpening of the blades.
As such, it would be beneficial to provide an apparatus which is both portable and automated to effect the sharpening of a plurality of blades of a reel blade mechanism in a precise and efficient manner. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus which may be removably yet securely interconnected to a reel blade mechanism while the reel blade mechanism remains in an operational relationship with its propelling device. More in particular, it would be beneficial to eliminate the time and expense of completely disconnecting the reel blade mechanism from its propelling device, at least as far as the disconnection of a reel blade drive from the pneumatic, hydraulic, or other power supply system of the propelling device, interconnection of the reel blade mechanism to an auxiliary pneumatic, hydraulic, or other powered drive system to operate the reel blade mechanism during a spin-grinding procedure, and reconnection of the reel blade drive to the pneumatic, hydraulic, or other power supply system of the propelling device. Additionally, it would be beneficial to eliminate the expense of such an auxiliary pneumatic, hydraulic, or other powered drive system to operate the reel blade mechanism during a spin-grinding procedure. Also, it would be preferable to provide an apparatus which automatically transports a sharpening element disposed in an operative orientation with a reel blade mechanism in a reciprocating manner during a spin-grinding procedure, so as to effect even and precise sharpening of each of a plurality of reel blades of the reel blade mechanism. It would also be helpful for such an apparatus to be adaptable to effect sharpening of one or more fixed blades of a reel blade mechanism, such as a knife blade.